Dean,
A thermostat is controlled by the temperature of the coolant inside the engine,
not the coolant in the radiator. (the little thermal plug goes down, towards
the engine) If the engine coolant goes over the thermostat's temperature, it
opens up and allows the the radiator coolant to flow into the engine, thus
providing more cooling.
Your story is fine, but the coolant in an engine will not stay at 150 degrees
for very long. Maybe for a short drive, but not for a long drive. The engine
will naturally heat the coolant over 150 or 160 easily. Remember the
temperature of the burning fuel inside the cylinders is over 450 degrees. This
heat has to go somewhere, so it goes into the coolant.
> Now imagine you have a 160 degree thermostat, and the coolant in your car is
> about 150 degrees under normal operating conditions. The thermostat will
remain
> closed, and the coolant will remain at 150 degrees, right?
Partially true, but the normal engine temperature is NOT 150 degrees. The
engine is going to try to get rid of that 450 degree heat in the cylinders and
thus will increase the coolant temperature as much as it can. That is why the
150 or 160 or whatever thermostat will open therefore holding the temp at
slightly above the opening temperature (assuming you have enough cooling
capacity).
---
Kirk Crawford AIM:KirkBCraw
mailto:Kirk.Crawford@home.com
http://members.home.net/kirk.crawford/spitfire/
1968 Triumph Spitfire Mk3
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